Lhasa

There is something so otherworldly about her music. Her essence and her stories are so heartfelt each time I listen to her songs.

As an artist she had a strong sense of and respect for who she was and her relationship to art. She published a book called ‘Lhasa La Route Chante’ an autobiography with photos from her life combined with her visual art works. She has many chapters in her book including ‘Les Reves Vivants’ (Living Dreams), ‘Rencontres’ (Encounters) and ‘Les Vies Possibles’ (Possible Lives).

In Peter Culshaw writes that ‘Seeing her magical performance at the Jazz Café, I was struck by how rare it is, in our increasingly standardised and packaged world, for an artist to be able to translate their inner world to songs, and paradoxically, it is precisely this highly personal vision that gives a universal appeal and creates an extraordinary energy. It is a natural, rather than self-conscious originality.’

Lhasa passed away of cancer in 2010. Below, my favourite song of hers.